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At least 1 post per week (frequently 2 or 3): Primarily Epic Card Game strategy articles. Game reviews and other game-related posts are possible as well.

Sample Epic Open Draft

Foreword

In this article, I go through an entire sample Epic Open Draft. I will be drafting 40 cards per deck and cutting 10 each for 30 card decks. I am picking for both decks, but, since the cards are visible to both players constantly in this format, I don’t have to pretend that I don’t have complete knowledge. So I think it works. (This wouldn’t work for Dark Draft; however, you can expect to see something involving Dark Draft soon.)

After showing my picks, I explain why I picked the cards for each deck. Anytime I say A thinks this or B thinks that, I am referring to my own thought process. I use A and B to (hopefully) make it easier to follow as two separate drafts.

1st Pick Explanation (Player B): Guilt Demon is once again the best card of the 4.

2nd/3rd Picks Explanation (Player A): Unquenchable Thirst is strong since A plans on having more Evil cards. A is not a big fan of Drinker of Blood, although it has done well at times. A really likes the idea of Wolf Companion: +2/+2 for 0 that can be recalled to get a wolf token. It may be the “wrong” choice, but A takes Wolf Companion here.

1st Pick Explanation (Player B): In combination with Standard Bearer, Drinker of Blood, and the fact that B got the Fireball, B is beginning to be seduced by the idea of a token deck (even though B doesn’t think they are particularly viable currently). Crystal Golem is generally a better card, but B has decided to chase tokens. Courageous Soul would be very strong to get later.

2nd/3rd Picks Explanation (Player B): Hurricane is an obvious choice because it is powerful and strong against tokens. Divine Judgement is a board clear or Draw 2, so strong stuff. B still thinks Avenging Angel is too fragile, but B doesn’t have reliable ways to deal with Avenging Angel, let alone Thundarus, yet. So, this might be a mistake.

2nd/3rd Picks Explanation (Player B): Mighty Blow is picked since this is a token deck. Lying in Wait to deal with that Sea Titan (in addition to it just being an incredible card). This does give AVital Mission, which is not ideal, but B thinks it is worth it. This could be a mistake.

2nd/3rd Picks Explanation (Player B): B took Plentiful Dead to deny it, since it could chump a few of B‘s big champions. Ogre Mercenary over Demon Breach since Demon Breach is so bad, in my opinion. That might be a mistake since it does give A another Evil card, but A might not even run it.

2nd/3rd Picks Explanation (Player A): Warrior Golem for A does actually have a solid chance of getting blitz. Priestess of Angeline might heal some health, and it does at least recycle. A knows The Risen would probably get cut anyways.

2nd/3rd Picks Explanation (Player A): Wither is a nice way to stop tokens or at least 1 for 1 trade with a lot of B‘s 0-cost Evil minions. It also counter picks it from being used against Muse, and it helps the Evil loyalty. Lurking Giant is a solid big ambush champion. Surprise Attack is just a luxury in draft.

1st Pick Explanation (Player A): Angel of Mercy causes A to shift the focus of their draft. A‘s Evil cards are pretty lackluster, but A‘s Good cards are pretty strong. So, A is going to stop pursuing Evil cards and focus on Good/Sage going forward. Angelic Protector would also be strong since it works with Sea Hydra and Angel of Mercy. Banishment would be nice since B has a lot of big champions it can hit. Inheritance of the Meek would be strong to hit Steel Golem, but B does have some token strategy as well which it can’t stop.

2nd/3rd Picks Explanation (Player B): Banishment is counter picked so it can’t be used against B‘s big champions. Inheritance of the Meek is to hit Sea Titan and Crystal Golem if needed. Unfortunately, this does give AAngelic Protector, which could be a mistake.

1st Pick Explanation (Player B): Amnesia is the only super strong card in the group. Using it to completely stop someone from drawing out in draft is incredible. Final Task is okay since B does have Kong and Palace Guard, and it can draw 2. It definitely isn’t strong though.

1st Pick Explanation (Player A): A could not let B have Courageous Soul. Since B has some token capability and a decent number of 0-cost champions, Courageous Soul would be very dangerous.

2nd/3rd Picks Explanation (Player B): Frost Giant is incredible and Rally the People works with the token/0-cost champions. If B was paying less attention, a counter pick of Dark Assassin could make sense. Dark Assassin is super strong, and it did seem that A was going Evil early on. Looking at A‘s cards though, a Evil deck would be weak.

On the other hand, A was able to counter pick enough to prevent B‘s token strategy from becoming incredibly viable as well. Courageous Soul, The People’s Champion, and Wither would all have been excellent for B. As it is, the token strategy is still slightly kept because of Drinker of Blood.

With both decks, the factions largely fell into place because of the strong cards of those factions picked. Evil was contested and largely made irrelevant, but both decks had decent showings in Good and Sage. A was able to focus more, and B had to add in a decent amount of Wild. This is part of the reason why I think A‘s deck is better.

I also think A‘s deck is stronger because it has better specific cards/combinations. Angel of Mercy is incredible, and A has enough decent Good cards to make it worthwhile. In addition, Psionic Assault + Thought Plucker is excellent. Untargetable champions (mainly Sea Titan) are also crazy strong.

I am not entirely sure how B wins. It does have the weak token strategy, and it did get both Kong and Palace Guard. Noble Unicorn is also strong, and 0-cost blitz champions can do work. But, I think A‘s deck deck would do better for the reasons listed above.

I no longer do. When I wrote this, I had not realized the importance of saving cards for when my opponent’s gold was down. Therefore, I would generally play it while my opponent’s gold was up. In that situation, if I attacked, the odds of it being removed without doing anything for me were a lot higher. If I drew, I wasn’t terribly happy with a 7/7 airborne expended body that drew a card.

Now however, I love this card. If you wait to play it until your opponent’s gold is down when they have no airborne champions in play, you can play it and attack with an 8/8 airborne blitz champion regardless of your faction commitment(s). Without a gold, your opponent is significantly less likely to have an answer effectively making this a Flame Strike that leaves an 8/8 expended body into play that can also potentially draw you cards.

If my opponent’s gold is up while neither play has any champions in play, I am quite happy to just play and expend it to draw a card. When I’m not behind on the board, this is perfectly acceptable, and I have drawn 3 cards from it in a couple games.

If I’m behind and my opponent’s gold is up, this is a terrible card to play though. Neither of those options bring me back into the game, and by playing it while my opponent’s gold is up, I give them the opportunity to at least stay ahead or potentially get further ahead on my turn, since I can no longer punish them for spending their gold on my turn.